FIFA's Vancouver host committee, city and transport officials give update on World Cup prep

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Basically, don't drive downtown on the following days:

Another great reason not to take the car downtown during the World Cup (as if you needed another) is the number of road closures set to be enforced around B.C. Place. 

These will begin with the closure of a stretch of Pacific Boulevard between Carrall Street and the Cambie Street Bridge starting May 23. 

Further closures outlined in the map above, blocking off access to a large area around north and east False Creek, will come into effect on the seven match days. Two stations on the SkyTrain network will also be closed on match days.

Residents and businesses in the affected areas have been told they will receive local access passes. FIFA is hosting community sessions on May 7 and 11 for those affected.

Also, for the duration of the World Cup, a stretch of Granville Street will be pedestrianized and feature expanded patios, art installations, live music and family-friendly activities, according to the City of Vancouver.

We've been told we're going to hear more about the Vancouver host committee's "Know Before You Go" campaign, though there's already a basic page for that on the official host site. 

The gist is, if you want to get anywhere on game day, take transit, walk, bike or hop on whatever your flavour of electric wheeled device is. 

If you take transit, prepare for it to be busy and give yourself extra time for your journey. TransLink says it's boosting service, but with the city expecting to welcome more than 350,000 visitors across the seven match days, it's going to be packed.

All the same, Vancouver is blessed among host cities in that its host stadium is downtown and a short walk from the rapid mass transit SkyTrain network, so you'd be silly not to make the most of that. (And you'd be remiss not to be smug that you aren't being gouged $150 US for a train ticket to a suburban host stadium.)

Fittingly, today's event is being held at a SkyTrain station. Though, oddly, it's at one of the quietest stops on the network, 29th Street, in the city's residential southeast.

Ready for the World Cup? It’s just over a month until the first game of the continent-straddling soccer tournament kicks off on June 11, and only 38 days until Vancouver hosts its first game of seven at B.C. Place.

Media in Vancouver are today being invited to hear from a range of officials about how all the prep is going for the city's role in the sporting spectacle, and how fans and residents can prepare themselves. 

Those official voices include the Vancouver Police Department's deputy chief, the CEO of TransLink and members of FIFA's World Cup 2026 Vancouver team. The briefing is set to begin at 10:45 a.m. PT. You can watch the livestream above.

Vancouver is one of 16 host cities for the 2026 tournament, which is being co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.

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